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Funerals have been around for centuries, being one of the oldest rituals known. Researchers have found remains of Neanderthal man dating to 60,000 BCE
"with animal antlers on the body and flower fragments next to the corpse indicating
some type of ritual and gifts to the deceased" ("The History of Funerals- Funeral History: The Funeral Source", 2015).
Funerals have however, changed over time and continuously became more religion orientated at time went on.

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Another way the church shows their care for the deceased is via ashes. The ashes are to be placed in a "worthy container, and all who handle them should do so with care and reverence until final disposition" ("Catholics and Cremation", (2017).

Traditionally the Church asks that "the cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum." There is also a spiritual and emotional benefit for placing cremated remains in a grave or mausoleum.

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The night before a funeral a prayer service is held called Vigil.
similar to a view, family and friends gather in the home of the deceased, in the funeral home, or in the church to pray and remember the deceased. A priest or deacon normally conducts the prayers ("Catholic Funeral Traditions.", 2012).
Image: (Daniels, 2002)

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Funerals use several symbols to convey the message of the person passing on to a "heaven". One of the most common symbols being the lighting of a candle or some form of light. The actual meaning of the symbol can differ from funeral to funeral as it is more to help ease the pain of the person who is at loss. ("Symbols and Symbolism in the Funeral Today", 2017)
Image: ("John David Myers Online Obituary, July 26, 1936 - June 9, 2012", n.d.)

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There are a small group of people involved in the Catholic ritual of a funeral. The main person being the priest who, starts the funeral and blesses the people at the funeral. The other key people at a funeral are those who give speeches about the diseased.

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A Catholic funeral has more purpose than you might think. Although, the funeral is still held to comfort the people who are at loss and give them a chance to mourn and pray, it also is held to help forgive the sins of the person who died and remove them from Purgatory so they can pass onto Heaven.
Forgiving of the persons sins is done through Mass. Each Church offers Mass at a funeral for "the benefit of the soul" (Hontiveros, 2017)

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Catholics and Cremation. (2017). Catholic-cemeteries.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017, from http://www.catholic-cemeteries.com/Catholics_and_Cremation_1189720.html

Catholic Funeral Traditions. (2012). Everplans. Retrieved 23 October 2017, from https://www.everplans.com/articles/catholic-funeral-traditions

Daniels, E. (2002). Would God listen to the prayer of someone else on a person's behalf more, or would it be the same as if the person prayed for themselves?. Searchforbibletruths.blogspot.com.au. Retrieved 21 October 2017, from http://searchforbibletruths.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/would-god-listen-to-prayer-of-someone.html

Hontiveros, R. (2017). The Real Purpose of a Catholic Funeral – Fr. Mike | PagadianDiocese.org. Pagadiandiocese.org. Retrieved 18 October 2017, from http://www.pagadiandiocese.org/2017/02/25/the-real-purpose-of-a-catholic-funeral-fr-mike/

Symbols and Symbolism in the Funeral Today. (2017). Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 21 October 2017, from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/2044024313Z.00000000010?needAccess=true&journalCode=yjss20

The History of Funerals- Funeral History: The Funeral Source. (2015). Thefuneralsource.org. Retrieved 26 October 2017, from http://thefuneralsource.org/history.html

John David Myers Online Obituary, July 26, 1936 - June 9, 2012. Cressfuneralservice.com. Retrieved 22 October 2017, from http://www.cressfuneralservice.com/obituary/92630/John-Myers/